Distribution deal expanded to include Java Enterprise System suite

Nearly a year into the rollout of its new partner program, Microsoft says it is now accelerating into a phase of tactical initiatives and investments that augment last year's wholesale program changes.

I have been thwarted. I'm on the ground here in Toronto for the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference, only to discover that neither the broadband connection in my hotel nor the myriad wireless networks I've found in the convention center appears to be all that happy with my notebook.

Oracle says in a filing that the government didn't prove its proposed acquisition of PeopleSoft would reduce competition. The Justice Department, however, cites substantial anti-competitive effects from an acquisition

Microsoft's Partner Conference begins this weekend. Do you know what your customers need?

In the hot seat this week: Channel Programs

Those of you who watch CRN Online closely probably noticed last week's story about Cisco's plans to end its E-Agent Program at the end of this month. The networking hardware giant had been attempting to create a viable influencer/agent model for channel partners that aren't interested in taking title to product.

Westcon Group has opened a 78,880-square-foot warehouse and integration facility in Sterling, Va., allowing it to put its entire inventory and logistics operations from its Comstor, Voda One and Westcon divisions under one roof for the first time. To do so, the Tarrytown, N.Y.-based distributor consolidated three warehouses in Elmsford, N.Y., Pittsburgh and Chantilly, Va.

Microsoft is trying to jump-start channel partners to sell and deploy one of its newer technologies, Windows Rights Management Services, as another added security layer for enterprise and SMB customers.

Businesses that need to design, create and maintain database applications are faced with an onslaught of unstructured data formats and complex data relationships. Data architects, developers and administrators need an easy way to understand the state of an enterprise's data, and a model-driven solution is often the answer.

Being able to recover lost data is crucial for businesses of any size. The average end user may believe that data recovery is easy and uncomplicated, but in reality it's time-consuming and very difficult to achieve. If not performed precisely and in a timely fashion, the results could make a bad situation even worse.

RapidScale co-founder and CEO Randy Jeter shared how the cloud service provider is attracting stronger talent and benefiting partners by paying more attention to its workplace, amenities and company culture.

During the XChange 2017 conference this week in Orlando, Fla., The Channel Company's CEO Robert Faletra moderated a panel with top solution provider executives, including Michael Knight, John Shaw, Michael Lomonaco and John Head.